


Who's Protecting Who?

by genkigal



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Awkward Romance, Drama, Eventual Romance, GaaLee, Gay Male Character, M/M, Ninja, Romance, chaptered story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 20:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18818569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genkigal/pseuds/genkigal
Summary: (Drabble that will be expanded into a chaptered story!) Rock Lee has been assigned a special mission - go to the Sand Village and protect the Kazekage at all costs. Lee begins his life in the Sand Village as Gaara's right-hand man, but he can't explain this feeling he gets whenever they are alone together. Could it be possible there's something between the young Jonin and the Kage, or will this cost him his mission and a valuable friend?





	1. The Departure

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. This is the first in a series of Naruto drabbles I’ve written. I first published this on Wattpad back in 2013, but I’ve edited it more since then and really wanted to elongate this particular story. The GaaLee ship is one of my personal favorites and I want to do this couple more justice, so if you enjoy this and have any comments or criticisms please comment and let me know! It’s been a while since I wrote like this so I might be a bit out of practice.

“I’m sending you to Suna.” 

Tsunade straightened out a stack of papers and added them to a growing pile in the ‘Completed’ tray on her desk. Her statement had an air of finality to it, as if it would be done even whether the mission was accepted or not. 

“It’s a high-rank order of protection mission from the Kazekage himself, so I trust you’ll be my watchful eye.” Her eyes looked right through Rock Lee, eyebrow raised with a smile that implied she knew something that he didn’t know. 

Lee gulped; while this felt like an extremely convenient mission, given that Tsunade seemed to pick up on the premonition that something was going on between the two, Lee knew it would be best to try and focus on the mission at hand instead of getting involved with the young Kage. All previous encounters between the two had been charged with strange tension, something that only female intuition and Lee’s hyper-analytical mind could pick up on. The last time he had seen him was his previous visit to the Leaf Village, and he found himself flustered and awkward without knowing why.

“You’ll be living in Suna for the indefinite future, at least until we have the resources to bring the Kazekage to the Land of Iron for the Kage Summit.” Tsunade sat forward in her chair, hands folded over her large bust as she pressed into her desk. 

Her tone was neither serious nor playful, it walked the line between the two in a way that made Lee squirm in his chair with nervousness. It almost didn’t feel professional, like there was a secret subtext below this S-Rank mission offer that neither dared to clarify.

“Accommodations are provided; all they ask is that you accompany the Kazekage during his daily routine.” Tsunade pushed a thick scroll sealed with red wax over to the edge of her desk for him to take. It was a large scroll for a mission that seemed so simplistic, and he reached over from his seat to grab it and stuff it in his belt without a second glance.

“I’ll do my best!” Lee almost jumped out of his chair in his typical youthful style and brought his hand to his forehead in a stiff salute. What else could he have said? This was such a high honor for a regular Jonin, being asked by the Hokage herself to protect such an important figure during such a volatile time in Ninja history, there was no way he could say no. Without even thinking to ask for more information, or take another look at the scroll he so hurriedly wadded in his belt pocket, he bowed respectfully at Tsunade and Shizune, who sat in the background throughout this exchange, and hurried out of the room. 

Within a few hours, there were 2 escort Jonin standing in the tiny door frame of his village funded apartment, and he rushed to pack a bag that would be suitable for an extended stay away from home, without being too much to carry. He stared at a closet full of the same outfit, just as he liked it. 5 jumpsuits? he pondered as he pulled out a few hangers No… maybe 6? Scrambling around his one-room flat looking for things he might need for life in the Sand Village, he began throwing various items out of the closet and unto his bed to analyze further. 

“I wouldn’t pack too much if I were you” one of the Jonin suggested, leaning over casually from the front door to offer some insight “Your clothes are gonna be ripped to shreds during the sandstorms there, I’d just bring a few essentials and call it a day. I’m sure they’ll give you nice robes when we get there.”. 

His mouth almost fell open in horror. **Not** wearing his Guy Sensei approved green jumpsuit? That simply wasn’t him! How could he embody his usual form of youthfulness without the entire that helps make it so? He couldn’t even imagine himself in anything but his habitual attire, let alone wearing an outfit similar to Gaara. When the Jonin looked away, Lee quickly stuffed another jumpsuit and belt pair into his pack and zipped it up. Hoisting it over his shoulder, he prepared himself for the long way ahead, almost 35 hours if his fellow Jonin feel they need time for rest. 

“Shall we get going?’ he flashed his trademark white smile to his escorts and they both nodded in response. 

In typical Lee fashion, he tried to push on without resting to reach the Sand Village in record time, but his two companions grumbled for a break as they approached more mountainous and energy consuming terrain. They had been walking so quickly their feet were being rubbed raw by their sandals, something medical ninjutsu could solve if only Lee was able to do it. Settling down in a wooded area, they laid out their packs as pillows and attempted to get some sleep, the Sand Village only another 7 hours away. Within minutes, the 2 Jonin had drifted into dreamland, leaving Lee to contemplate the entire mission a thousand times over. He lay with his head resting on the soft part of his pack pocket, staring up at the night sky peeking through the sea of tall, damp trees. 

As he lay in the silence, he watched the night turn into the dusk of day, and his teammates slowly arise. His mind was buzzing with ideas, thoughts about Gaara, thoughts about the mission, fear for the future. Every time he closed his eyes to try and end the noise, a new nagging voice spoke at him from inside his head. 

He was never the type to lose his composure, but something about this mission had unlocked the door to an anxiety he never had before. 

As they continued further on the trail, watching the sand dunes appear in the distance and then disappear under his feet, he became more aware of what he was walking into. 

His pack felt heavier with every step, and each stride began to feel less hurried. He shook his head free of his amounting conflicting thoughts; he was between two dilemmas: _Should he focus on protecting Gaara and detach from his feelings or should he try to find out what the tension between them meant?_ He felt almost guilty for bringing his emotional strain into this mission, and as the hive-shaped Kazekage building loomed over him, he vowed that, no matter what, he would try to keep things strictly professional. 

With his mind finally made up, he took a deep breath of the hot sandy air and knocked on the front door. 

 


	2. First Day on the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee officially arrives in Suna and acclimates to his new environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter two! I'm writing out where I want this story to go overall, but I'm struggling to see where this fits into the canon. I'm excited to post the next chapter which lists all of Gaara's Kazekage duties, and expand upon the dialogue between Lee and Gaara! Comments and kudos always welcome :)

The door was opened by some kind of force from behind the door, and the base floor of the Kazekage’s residence was barren in terms of decoration. There was a single lamp in the corner of the room, and small round windows spread out between each divot of the hard, brown wall. There were two small house plants and a few loose scrolls scattered on Gaara’s desk. 

Sitting on a hard brown chair at the desk was Gaara, noticeably not wearing his Kazekage robes and instead, he adorned a plain, long red robe. It was impossible to gauge his impression from the look on the Kage’s face, the lack of eyebrows really added to the unreadable nature of his expression. As he sat at his desk, fingers through his choppy velvet red hair and his light sea green eyes rimmed with black glancing from each accompanying Jonin, then Lee, then back again, the twenty-one-year-old was quite a sight.

It was totally silent, Lee failing to even re-introduce himself before Gaara gestured to an empty space on the couch in front of his desk, and gestured with the wave of his hand for him to sit down. The long silence hung in the air for a few more moments, both parties assuming the other would speak first, before the both attempted at the same time to start. 

“Uh…”

** This was going to be a long mission. **

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Rock Lee awoke covered in silky smooth gold fabric, and the rush of sand hitting the window closest to him filled his ears. His first morning waking up in the Sand Village. His bowl cut spread messily over the soft red pillow he rested on and his lips parted gently into a groggy yawn. As he rubbed his circular eyes, he noted he had regrettably slept in 5 minutes late, yet no one had come alerted him. This was unlike his punctual self, whose internal clock usually operated without fail. He chalked it up to his body adjusting to the change of environment, but still felt a pang of guilt for allowing himself those 5 extra minutes.

A small sandstorm was in progress outside of the small window, and every so often a few larger grains would hit his window. He shakily threw his legs over the side of the Queen sized bed, his skin making contact with the cold texture of the hard cherry wood floor below him, effectively waking him up. 

Glancing around his large room, he couldn’t complain about the accommodation he had received. This bedroom was roughly the size of his entire apartment back in the Leaf Village, and it was furnished as if to accommodate royalty. He reached for his toothpaste and toothbrush on the nightstand and rolled his head from side to side as he reached the bathroom to the left side of his room, knocking once and (upon finding it empty) entering.

With a towel shaking his clean black locks dry and adorning one of the green jumpsuits he’d brought along, he walked down the lushly carpeted stairs of the Kazekage tower, the ever-present thick hot air of the sand village finally engulfing him and making him feel suddenly sweaty though he had just showered. As he looked towards the kitchen area he saw Temari bent over the stove, engrossed in the large pot that lie on the burner.

"Good morning Temari!" he called, somewhat less youthful than how he expected it to sound, so he added a thumbs up to further elaborate his cheerfulness. He flashed his winning smile at her, he wasn’t called Konoha’s Green Wild Beast for nothing!

Temari turned her head slightly and smiled politely in a slightly dismissive way as if to say ‘Good Morning. I’m busy.’ and quickly returned to observing the dish she attempted. A mysterious brown liquid bubbled in the pot, and it smelled slightly burnt. 

Lee shrugged the towel over his shoulders and walked along, catching Gaara out of the corner of his eye emerging from the room right of the kitchen. He was fully dressed, with his Kazekage hat on as if he were preparing to go out for the day. Lee quickly held the towel behind his back and gave a deep bow to him as he approached. 

“Good morning sir!” he said, face parallel from the floor as he held his position. 

“You don’t have to be so formal Lee. Relax.”

His words made Lee drop the bow immediately and he shot back up into a standing position, resisting the urge to salute him. His training with Guy Sensei had always instilled in him to treat those he was assisting with the utmost respect and formality, but it felt a little silly playing this part to a familiar face. Gaara smoothly brushed past him, headed down the narrow staircase that led to the downstairs office area. The stairs were made of a smooth clay-like substance, similar to the beige walls that the walls of the hive-shaped house were made of. 

Running back quickly and throwing the used towel unto his unmade bed, he followed Gaara downstairs to the office, awaiting further instruction. Upon inspecting the room, he noticed that the 2 Jonin he had traveled with were no longer present, assumedly stationed elsewhere in Suna. For now, it was simply him and Gaara, with Temari humming a tune upstairs as she cooked. 

Gaara briefly opened his desk drawer and rummaged for something, and Lee pondered how he should be standing. He positioned himself in the corner of the room, standing as straight as the lamp beside him and in full alert mode. He knew his job was the protect the Kazekage, from what exactly he wasn’t entirely sure. He had yet to read the scroll that was practically burning a hole in his belt pocket, though he knew it contained more details about the how’s and why’s of his assignment. 

“I’m going to do my daily rounds.” Gaara shut the open desk drawer and held a medium sized piece of parchment in one hand. He slipped a small vial of ink and a brush into one of the folds of his robes and began to stride towards the door.

“Allow me!” Rock Lee all but raced to the door to open it, and Gaara remarked him with a tilt of his head. Lee always acted strangely in his opinion, what with his constant optimism and general sunny deposition, but Gaara sensed there was something going on in Lee’s mind. 

Not being one to insert his nose where it didn’t belong, he reminded him “Remember what I told you about formalities Lee, they aren’t necessary here.”

“Right!” Lee could have kicked himself for acting so unnatural, this awkwardness was almost as thick as the Suna air “A force of habit I guess.”

Gaara passed through the door without another word, and so began the Kazekage’s first official day of protection.


	3. The Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The daily responsibilities of the Kazekage, as well as a display of Gaara's kindness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the feedback you've been providing! 
> 
> I started writing this chapter early this morning with the intention to post tomorrow, but I'm very excited about this one so I've decided to upload it today. I hope you enjoy, this is the longest chapter thus far.

A hot gust of air riddled with sand was the first thing to greet Lee as he stepped out of the Kazekage’s home. The Sand Village was shaped in a fairly intuitive way, in that the Kazekage’s home was in the center of the village, and 7 paved paths stretched outside of the center in various directions.

Lee took note of each path surrounding them, taking into consideration that an enemy could come at them from any side. Lee operated under the assumption that any potential threat to the Kazekage would come from someone already inside Suna, though they were notorious for their tight security. 

“I typically start with the northeast corner section and then make my way around to each sector clockwise,” Gaara spoke matter of factly as he proceeded down the road that Lee took to arrive only a day prior. 

He walked along at a moderate pace, pulling out the parchment and ink from the folks of his robe and reading previous day’s records as he walked. 

This was a task he preferred to do himself, though he had many offers to take the task from him. He found the walk around the village to be a peaceful one, and one that allowed him to see the everyday people he was entrusted to safeguard.

Lee found it kind that Gaara was explaining his routine to him aloud, as the Kazekage did not have a reputation for being the chatty type. He followed along closely behind, keeping distance as to not encroach on his personal space, and observed Gaara’s expression. 

In contrast to the hot weather, Gaara seemed as cool as ever, easily shifting into work mode as he regarded civilians on the street with a soft smile.

The silence between the two was periodically disrupted by gusts of wind, Gaara writing on his parchment and the drip of the ink back into its small container. Though Lee’s head was buzzing with questions and conversation starters, he wondered how appropriate it would be to do so as the Kazekage conducted his business. 

He decided that one question wouldn’t hurt, and strode a bit closer to Gaara’s right side.

“When I spoke with Hokage Tsunade, she said that I had been—“ Lee fought the urge to clear his throat, how was he already thirsty? “specially selected for this protection role.”

It was supposed to be a question of how and why, but it came off as more of a statement. Despite the sudden outburst, Gaara’s pace didn’t falter. He continued to take note of his surroundings, jotting down in the bottom left corner of his parchment _Civilian sect 4 listed as ‘secure’_.

“Yes, you were.” he hummed.

Lee rocked back on his heels a bit. It wasn’t exactly an answer, but then again he didn’t **exactly** ask a question did he? 

“Thank you for requesting me for this!” he leaned forward with his signature smile “I was quite surprised when I received the assignment...” he admitted, and then immediately wish he hadn’t.

“Were you? You’re a more than capable ninja.” 

Lee felt his face heat up in a nervous blush. It was one thing for Guy Sensei to compliment his hard work, but to hear it directly from Gaara felt considerably different. He knew he was capable, he had been training for a significant amount of time for an opportunity such as this one. For the Hokage herself to recognize him at an equal playing field to others, despite his limitations to Taijutsu, made him feel a twinge of pride.

“Y-yes a bit! I was surprised someone like Naruto wasn’t chosen.” Lee knew he was digging himself into a massive hole with his words, but he was never one who knew the art of staying quiet in conversation. “Not that I’m unhappy with my assignment, I am! I will dedicate my time here to protecting the village and yourself with the mighty power of youth!” 

Gaara regarded Lee from the side, never changing his pace but making eye contact with the young Jonin. He could see Lee felt flustered to some regard, perhaps the sun had been bearing down on his too hard. 

Gaara noted that, in his hurry to begin the sector evaluations, he had forgotten to extend Lee the offer of a sun hat. 

Breaking off the straight course, he spotted a civilian stand selling simple rounded straw hats at a fairly reasonable price. The stand was assembled using miscellaneous pieces of dark brown wood, with straw hats stacked on top of each other in piles so high it passed the heights of both the elderly man selling them and Gaara alike. The old man stood up straight as Gaara approached, scrambling to fix the hats into a more organized pile.

“Lord Kazekage!” the old man stumbled forward with a hunched back, clearly fighting a limp in one leg, and extended both hands for a firmly clasped handshake. He smiled jovially, in a way that made his eyes appear to be closed. “What can I do for you?.”

“One hat, please.” Gaara dug into the folds of his robe for some spare coins, in most situations he had enough to pay for a full meal and then some. On some occasions, he would pass out spare change to civilian children as he made his sector rounds. He could hear Lee grasping at the flaps of his pocketed belt, and held up a hand to try and discourage him from paying.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly charge you!” the old man lifted a sturdy hat off of one of the shorter piles and gently brushed off grains of sand that had accumulated with the back of his hand. He blew on it once for good measure and then huffed proudly at his handiwork. “Here you are!”

“Please, I insis—“ Gaara tried to hand the hat seller whatever change he could grab from his pocket, but the man all but shooed him away. Sensing and appreciating the old man’s sense of pride Gaara bowed to the seller gratefully, Lee giving him a grateful salute with an almost tearful degree of appreciation.

As they stepped away from the seller, Gaara handed the hat to Lee.

“You seemed hot.” 

Lee took the hat happily, brushing away the beads of sweat that had accumulated with the sleeve of his green jumpsuit. Sand had gotten trapped in the thin material of his sleeve, making the drag against his face a bit painful as the grit scratched his face.

As they continued throughout each sector, a comfortable silence fell between them again. It was Gaara that uttered the next sentence in the last sector, folding the parchment paper up into a small square and tucking it back into his pocket to signal he had finished. 

“If you’re wondering why I requested you in particular” he began as they approached the Kazekage building from its south corner. “it’s because you possess a set of skills that I feel balances my own.”

“While Naruto is a dear friend to me, you’re a master of Taijutsu. I can respect a master in their craft, and I felt you were a good selection. I hope that answer is satisfactory to you.”

“Y-yes! Thank you.” 

Lee ran ahead of him again to grab the door, but Gaara’s sand was one step ahead of him and pushed the door open. Inside there was a brown-haired kunoichi humming to herself as she rummaged through some stacked books on Gaara's desk. She locked eyes with the pair as they entered, and she put down the books she was rearranging.

“Kazekage Gaara, welcome back. Shall we begin filing today’s paperwork?” 

Gaara regarded her familiarly, so Lee let his guard down a bit as he offered her a thumbs up. As Gaara walked towards the desk, he took off his Kage hat and placed it down. Sitting down into his large brown chair with a content sigh, he ran his hand through his hair and motioned towards Lee to sit in a chair off to the side. 

They locked eyes as he sat, in a moment that felt like forever for Lee, and Gaara turned to face the sand kunoichi, who seemed to be grinning ear to ear.

“Matsuri, let’s begin.” 

 


	4. A Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting so patiently for this chapter. I graduated from college last week and things have been hectic. Really happy with how this turned out, and I'm trying to feel out a direction for where this would go. Any comments are always appreciated.

As the days began to pass, the ‘filing paperwork’ portion of guarding Gaara was beginning to become the bane of Lee’s existence. Each day, after Gaara and Lee would casually converse while doing the sector rounds, Gaara would arrive home to the same routine: Matsuri would be tidying Gaara’s already spotless office, or perhaps be digging through something trying to find who knows what, and she would spot them. She would immediately gush over Gaara’s return and excitedly ask about filing. 

In her eyes, Lee had about as much presence as a rotted piece of wood, and she fawned over Gaara’s parchment notes with great interest. However, it was easy to tell her interest didn’t come from a place of dedication to her work, so much as a dedication to Gaara himself. Lee sat on the side idly, coming up with tiny challenges to pass the time, such as moving his thumb 200 times.

Lee grumbled to himself as they approached the Kazekage building after one of their reporting walks. He had a very pleasant day up until this point and wasn’t ready for the onslaught of Matsuri’s nails-on-a-chalkboard voice. 

He felt almost ill when Matsuri would lean over the empty space of Gaara’s desk to view the paper, putting her chest in full view. If Gaara noticed or was frustrated by her actions, he made no indication. He proceeded with his daily meetings with her as if she were any other ninja he had ever met, keeping people at a 5-foot distance at all times. 

Ever the polite one, Lee endured every encounter with a smile, always greeting her at the door and sitting beside Gaara while they mulled over what data had been collected. They discussed work-related topics, and in essence, their relationship appeared to be a professional one. 

As Lee lay in bed every night, kept up by the sound of sand grains hitting his window, he felt beside himself. 

The word ‘hate’ was not in his vocabulary, but he felt an intensely negative gut feeling whenever Gaara sat down to devote time to Matsuri. His intense dislike for her was coming out of a very strange and undiscovered place, and it put his mission at risk to be so emotionally invested. 

One particularly hot morning, Gaara arrived at Lee’s room with a small gift. 

Lee, not expecting any visitors, and had been doing his morning exercise routine. A typical day started with about 500 push-ups and 500 sit ups, and if he could not complete his self imposed goal, he would punish himself with 200 squats while holding his ankle weights. Lee was so immersed in his counting, as to not lose track of the number of push-ups, that he failed to hear Gaara’s gentle knock at the door. 

By the time he had reached 500, he returned to sitting position drenched in sweat, only to see Gaara stand above him with a small potted plant. 

“Gah!” Lee shrieked in surprise at the sudden entry and scrambled to make himself decent. He typically did his workouts in as little attire as possible to prevent friction, and this had now resulted in Gaara seeing him in his undies. He tried to find comfort in the fact that this was not one of the occasions he tried to do workouts in the nude.

“Good to see you’re settling in comfortably.” 

Was that some humor in Gaara’s voice? Lee gave a slight laugh and tried to play it cool. He moved to sit at the edge of his freshly made bed, bringing them slightly more eye level.

“I’ve brought you something.” Gaara extended his arms to reveal a small potted cactus. It had a plain red clay shell, not unlike the same material the walls of the building were made from, and a small green cactus growing in the center. “I thought this would brighten up the room.”

In the some odd days Lee had been staying in the room, it had already become his makeshift gym. 

His ankle weights hung off the bed frame, threatening to bow the wood under their mighty weight, and his green jumpsuits were proudly hung off the nearest shelf for ease of access. His half unpacked suitcase containing leg warmers had been shoved into the corner. Suna weather was a difficult one for a leg warmer enthusiast.

“Thank you! I shall water it every day!” Lee reached to take the plant from Gaara’s reach and he all but violently snatched it away from him just as quick as he had offered it. 

A stern look fell upon Gaara, and Lee dropped his arms as he knew this face all too well. He had been on the receiving end of this very look from many individuals in his life. A look that said: “I am about to lecture you.”

Gaara began to pace almost frantically, cradling the pot in his arms as if it were a newborn. 

“You cannot water this every day, this is an Astrophytum Ornatum. It is otherwise known as a Bishop’s Cap cactus, but you make nickname it as you wish.” 

He stepped closer to Lee to show him the plant once more. “It must be moderately watered.” 

The sudden passion in his voice interested Lee. Though he knew he should be listening and taking some form of notes on the proper care of keeping of his new thorny friend, he found the fire in Gaara’s eyes to be captivating. It was common knowledge that Gaara did some plant cultivating in his free time, usually involving his siblings as to make it a family affair. 

Lee had spent a few hours standing in front of a greenhouse entrance, hidden in the shadowa as Gaara toiled away inside on his plants. It was times like these where he was grateful for the hat Gaara had graciously got for him. 

“I would say the best position for adequate sunlight would be precisely here.” Gaara placed the cactus gingerly on the edge of the window nearest Lee’s bed. He looked pleased with himself and turned to Lee. 

“Lee, do you feel ready for this responsibility?” Gaara was wondering if this gift really was a good idea, he didn’t want to burden Lee with another task while he was already under so much stress. He considered revoking the gift, but that would look terrible on his part. Perhaps he could sneak in at night and check it was properly cared for…

Lee stood up straight and saluted him. “Responsibility is my middle name!” Lee mulled this over. _What a terrible name that would be_ , he thought, _Rock_ _Responsibility_ _Lee_. 

Seeming satisfied with this answer, Gaara began to leave the room to prepare for the sector rounds, as well as a meeting he was slated to have at the end of the day with some visiting ninja sent by the Mizukage. He gave one final glance at the cactus sitting innocently on the edge of Lee’s windowsill and promptly left. 

Lee began to get ready for the day in the fashion he usually would. He brushed his trademark bowl cut style in front of his face, then mussed with it a bit to get it into the shape Guy Sensei had instilled in him. ‘You want it round!’ he would assume him “And glossy!”.

He would then don his usual attire, complete with his belt pack. He stared at the scroll, still wadded up in the confines on his belt pocket, and decided that he should at least glance at it soon. Though his mission was more than clear, he felt odd not having read the scroll this late in the mission.

Putting it on his desk for later perusal, he set out with Gaara for his daily tasks. 

“How many grains of sand do you think you have swallowed?” Lee felt comfortable asking questions like these as Gaara wrote down daily statistics. He was always in a good mood when he did his routines, so Lee felt it was a good time to ask silly icebreaking questions. 

“In my entire lifetime?” Gaara was bemused by the question. He had never thought to calculate such a trivial thing.

“Just an estimate!” 

They walked side by side, Lee was beginning to recognize some familiar faces from each sector. The hat seller had become a good friend they smiled at as they passed, and a few fruit stands had become part of Gaara’s patronage as well. Sometimes Lee would do some fighting poses for kids that gathered near the Kazekage building, and Gaara would have to drag him away while they cheered him on for another one.

“I would say… millions.”

“Have you ever swallowed your own sand?” 

Gaara grimaced slightly as if remembering an instance. 

“Of course.”

They shared a small laugh together, and the atmosphere was as warm as the breeze flowing through the city. Arriving back at the Kazekage building reminded Lee he was here for business, not for fun. He tried to shift back into work mode, but it was getting harder with how much he was getting to know Gaara. He had his quirks, his likes and dislikes, and his niche obsessions. Lee drank up all the information, telling himself it was all for the sake of knowing his superior better. All for the mission. _But was it?_

Matsuri gave him no time to think about that. She practically skipped to meet Gaara as he arrived, and Lee suddenly became invisible. All his life he thought he had no ninjutsu, but Matsuri showed him that his existence could become obsolete in a poof!

Lee decided to step away for a bit after all the paperwork was filed, going upstairs to give the tiniest amount of water to his new friend. _Moderately_ , Rock Lee contemplated, _I think that means a handful?_

He went to his sink to get a handful of water, and then scrambled back to quickly place it in the pot before it ended up all over his wood floors. He managed to get most of it actually on the cactus, to his satisfaction. It looked pretty healthy with the recent addition of water, getting a nice sheen to it.

“Let’s show Gaara how you look.” Lee picked up the cactus with the same amount of care he had seen Gaara do and cradled it as he went to go back downstairs to Gaara’s office. He hoped a handful was enough water, his hands were on the larger side but he didn’t get a full scoop. 

As he headed down the first few steps, careful not drop his precious companion, the high pitched cackle of Matsuri filled his eardrums. 

“Oh Gaara, you are so cute!” 

He stopped dead in his tracks. From his position on the staircase he could see that, in his absence, the gap had closed between them. Matsuri had taken his seat and moved it over, so closely over that they sat directly side by side. Her arm was touching Gaara’s and while Gaara was looking at his desk, she leaned in so that their faces were only inches away. 

It was an intimate moment, and Lee immediately froze in his tracks. 

The heat of embarrassment crept up his neck. He didn’t know if he should cough, say something, or simply walk away and pretend he hadn’t seen anything. He gulped, and even though this sound was barely audible, he made eye contact with Gaara for a split second. 

Without a word between them, Lee clutched the pot closer and ran back upstairs. 


	5. A Lotus Blooms Twice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot apologize enough for how long this chapter took me. I have been thinking about what direction to take this story for weeks, writing and rewriting so many times I've lost count of how many edits I've made. I truly hope this chapter is enjoyable and I want to write so much more. I want to create a beautiful story for this couple ;; I apologize again for how late this came!!

The next morning was one of the quietest that Lee had experienced in Suna so far. 

He woke up 2 hours earlier than usual, tossing and turning in his bed and never finding the right position. When he woke, he did his morning workout in complete silence, listening to the gentle creak of the floorboards below his feet as he did hundreds of push-ups. He wore a pair of black pants Temari had placed on his bed sometime during the day before, and no shirt.

His workouts always transported his mind to another place, and by the time he was finished, he had all but forgotten the previous nights incident. That was, at least, until he sat up to see a tiny cactus resting on the edge of his window. 

He breathed a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his choppy black hair. One workout was not going to be enough to clear his mind. Glancing outside of the window the cactus sat perched on, he saw the small greenhouse, lush with greenery among what seemed like an ocean of sand, far in the distance. Calling it a greenhouse was generous, more that it had recently graduated from being a shed. Gaara spent much of his free time cooped in the small enclosure, of which Lee had never truly stepped inside. 

 

Something inside him wanted to touch something green, feel it in his hands and feel re-centered as he united with nature. He needed to feel something green and growing, rather than soft hot sand. Perhaps that was why Gaara began cultivating plants so that he too could realign his energy. 

It was almost funny, he felt like he needed ground to ground himself.

As he walked down the same set of stairs he stood on last night, a slow-motion replay of what he had seen played and reversed itself over and over in his mind. The feelings he experienced onlooking the scene came rushing back to the forefront of his brain. 

At first, it was an embarrassing feeling. The feeling of catching someone in the middle of a tender moment. Then it was a feeling that he had never felt before, not in this way. It was almost gut-wrenching, and it twisted his stomach in a way that guilt, pain and sadness had never done. Lee was no stranger to hurt pride, Gai had always humbled him whenever he thought he had exceeded the limits of what he could do, but this was more.

 

** Is this… jealousy? **

 

Lee opened the door to the outside world, feeling a wave of heavy heat hit him, and walked around the side of the Kazekage headquarters. Though it was a little past 4 in the morning, the air in Suna was still hot. Unlike evenings in Konoha, Suna had very little light pollution, so Lee was able to see each individual star clearly. With the waning moon above his head, it lit a path right to the greenhouse.

Finding the small metal structure, he realized that it was not as small as he’d anticipated from the outside looking in. It was a decent size, big enough for him to walk inside a few paces and sit down with a bit of space to stretch his legs out.

In the greenhouse were various grasses, succulents, and cacti sitting on a piece of wood that functioned as a shelf, with more random pieces of wood scattered and stuck to the wall to hold an assortment of plants. The floor was flat, made of sand that must have been compacted tightly using Gaara's sand justu. It was like organized chaos; a jungle of green within an ocean of orange sand. 

There was a small, brown watering can resting on the edge of the long shelf, and a few loose tendrils from plants hanging above lazily grazed the top of Lee’s head.

Carelessly, Lee had left the door open as he entered, and a breeze that was almost on the cool side rushed in and made the leaves above him sway.

 

As he debated whether or not he would do 200 crunches or bicycle kicks for 30 minutes, his eyes fell on a shabby chic looking bowl that was sitting on a stack of what appeared to be a stack of medical ninjutsu textbooks. In a small bowl of water, only 2 to 3 inches deep, was a small flower with blue-green leaves. 

He recognized it instantly, it was a lotus flower, known for it’s short and youthful beauty. 

Guy-sensei had instilled in him many values, one of which was to appreciate the beauty of the lotus and use it’s brief yet beautiful bloom as inspiration for how he should carry himself. 

“Similar to the lotus,” Guy sensei’s lecture would always begin “Our time in this world is shorter and our lives are beautiful things. We should approach every situation in life with passion and youth!!” At this point, a steady stream of tears would be cascading down their cheeks, hugging each other as Lee affirmed happily “Yes Guy-sensei!!”

He stood up and approached the flower, seeing it shut tight and closed. Its time had not yet come, and it lay dormant in a mass of leaves. Besides the bowl was a small, messily torn strip of paper that Lee assumed was its label. He turned it over to reveal the inscription on the back, written in the familiar handwriting of the Kazekage himself.

 

_ Konoha’s Second Lotus _

 

“I see you’ve found my little secret.” 

Lee jumped slightly, surprised by the sudden breach in quiet as Gaara spoke. 

He stood at the entrance, holding the transparent glass door as if he was tempted to close it as he spoke. He wore simple red pajamas, a collared silk red top with the front button undone, and long pants that pooled at his bare feet.

 

**Little secret?** A hot blush crept up from the pit of Lee’s stomach to the tips of his ears. 

** What did that name mean, Konoha’s Second Lotus?  **

** Is it possible he’s talking… about me? **

 

“Lee, please be sure to close the door on your way out. I need to maintain a temperature strictly between 70 and 80 degrees.” 

Ready to head back inside, Gaara took a cursory glance at his collection of plants and turned away from Lee. He had not planned to actually come down and speak with him, but as he watched Lee turn over the paper beside the lotus, the temptation propelled him forward.

“W-wait!” Lee’s voice was hoarse; he had not spoken since the night prior and he hadn’t had a sip of water since heading outside. “This is an amazing place here, d-do you like to garden?”

 

** What a ridiculous question, of course he liked gardening! **

 

Gaara hesitated ever so slightly, then stepped inside the greenhouse fully, shutting the door behind him with a satisfying click. The air circulating inside the greenhouse was slightly cooler than the early morning Suna air, and as the door clicked into place a gentle hum began to sound from a machine in the corner.

“I rather enjoy it, yes. It’s become my hobby as of late.” 

There wasn’t much space inside, only enough for two adult men to stand a foot away from each other, enough room to allow Gaara to raise his arm and rise up on his toes to pull down a singular hot pink plant in a white plastic container. 

“This is a petunia. Naruto has informed me of Hinata’s fondness for them, and so I tried my hand at growing my own.” Gaara’s finger reached out to gently stroke a petal, and Lee watched in awe of his gentleness. His eyes were fixed on this one, feebly growing plant, with a level of proud satisfaction one would give a child. The softness of his gaze, it made Lee’s stomach flip.

Gaara put the petunia back with a soft sigh and tip-toed a bit to place the petunia back on the shelf.

 

“L-let me help you!” Lee came beside Gaara, arms meeting and arms clashing as Gaara reached. The naked skin of Lee’s bicep met the soft material of his pajama. Gaara was a bit shorter than Lee, not that it made him any less intimidating or strong. If not for the difference in power and position, Lee might have found Gaara’s height cute or endearing. Their fingertips briefly touched as Lee pushed the holder up. Gaara’s pale and petite fingers were surprisingly cold to the touch, and almost delicate looking compared to Lee’s scarred, tan fingers.

Lee allowed himself to keep their arms touching a fraction of a second longer than needed. He stayed there, comfortably feeling the silky feeling of Gaara’s pajama as he lowered his arm back to his side. His heart was pounding, loud enough he was sure Gaara could hear it.

“Which one is your favorite?” Lee sputtered.

In truth, Lee wanted to ask about the lotus. His body language betrayed him, subconsciously shifting his weight in the direction of the flower. 

Without hesitation, Gaara turned fully to face Lee. When they were looking into each other's eyes in this way, Lee really noticed the height difference. He observed that Gaara had to tilt his head slightly up to maintain eye contact, and he did so until his eyes shifted slightly right of where Lee was standing. 

Gaara spoke in a quiet voice now, his nose only inches away from the rise and fall of Lee’s naked chest. 

“My favorite... I suppose the one behind you would be my favorite.”

Lee wanted to ask why. 

He wanted to confirm that Gaara was speaking about the Konoha lotus flower, but the words died in his throat. He glanced slightly down, observing Gaara’s expression. His messy red bed head covered some of his eyes, but he could feel Gaara watching him as intently as he was looking at him. 

“Gaara I—“

“The sun will be up within the hour, we should be heading back inside.” Gaara’s broke his gaze and looked behind him, back at the Kazekage building in the distance. 

He knew he needed to prepare for the day, but a part of him wanted to stay in the greenhouse with Lee. Within the metal and glass walls of this tiny enclosure, time seemed to pass more slowly. Their short exchange took a matter of minutes, and yet it felt as though a lifetime had elapsed.

As they walked back to the building, both the Kazekage and Rock Lee were plagued by the same question: ‘What does all of this mean?’


End file.
